Su DongPo wrote:Reports say that 9500 from one town, Minamisanriku, are missing.

That means they are dead, unfortunately.

Yes, probably, but the number of missing remains uncertain, and some of the "missing" will of course be found alive -- a few at least.

Added to all this misery is the ongoing nuclear crisis at two of the Fukushima plants.

I know life goes on, but the Japanese of Tohoku have been on my mind constantly since Friday.

Me too. I heard about it at a temple here in Kathmandu and went to the internet cafe right away.

I'm due back in Tokyo on the 24th, but if those two plants meltdown, then all that radioactive material in the atmosphere might have me postpone my return back home.

Strange thing is that Japanese media is not giving 100% coverage of the situation. On news sites they still have stupid and completely pointless stories in the headlines that are not even news. I get the impression a lot of Japanese youth especially don't comprehend the gravity of the situation.

I'm due back in Tokyo on the 24th, but if those two plants meltdown, then all that radioactive material in the atmosphere might have me postpone my return back home.

Tokyo should be safe -- prevailing winds are to the north and east, which sucks for Tohoku, Hokkaido, and the US west coast. Also, I don't think we should worry too much about a Chernobyl kind of meltdown. The Japanese reactors are old fashioned (dating to the 70s), but they are much better than the old Soviet reactor that exploded radiation into the atmosphere. Comparisons to the Three Mile Island accident are probably more appropriate, which is bad enough, but doesn't entail rendering broad swathes of the Japanese countryside permanently uninhabitable.

I'm due back in Tokyo on the 24th, but if those two plants meltdown, then all that radioactive material in the atmosphere might have me postpone my return back home.

Tokyo should be safe -- prevailing winds are to the north and east, which sucks for Tohoku, Hokkaido, and the US west coast. Also, I don't think we should worry too much about a Chernobyl kind of meltdown. The Japanese reactors are old fashioned (dating to the 70s), but they are much better than the old Soviet reactor that exploded radiation into the atmosphere. Comparisons to the Three Mile Island accident are probably more appropriate, which is bad enough, but doesn't entail rendering broad swathes of the Japanese countryside permanently uninhabitable.

Safe travels.

Despite the Japanese government saying there is no severe problem, several countries are recommending their citizens leave not only the disaster zones, but also Tokyo/Yokohama itself.

Swiss citizens who are currently in Japan: The FDFA advises all Swiss citizens in the crisis stricken areas as well as in the area of Tokyo/Yokohama to think about whether their presence in Japan is currently necessary, and, should this not be the case, to consider temporarily leaving the country. This advice is particularly meant for families with small children.

Apparently Germany is also recommending their citizens stay out of Tokyo.

And now Reuters is looking into reports of a Volcano possibly erupting in Japan somewhere...

The U.S. government and other nations were sending personnel to assist Japan in its response to the earthquakes and tsunami that have devastated the country. U.S. aid groups were accepting private donations for relief efforts.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has sent two of its officials with expertise in boiling water nuclear reactors. They joined a disaster response team with the U.S. International Agency for International Development, the primary federal agency that provides assistance to countries struck by a disaster.

USAID also sent two urban search and rescue teams to Japan at the request of the Japanese government, the agency said. The 75-person rescue teams, each with six dogs trained to detect live victims, were joining rescue teams from Japan and other countries.The Pentagon has sent a second U.S. aircraft carrier to Japan and ordered another ship to the region to help as needed.Also providing assistance:

—Britain. A search and rescue team of more than 60 specialists, two rescue dogs and a medical support team. They will be deployed first thing Monday morning. The British ambassador and a team of consular staff were in Sendai to assess the level of damage and to help locate British nationals.

—France. About 100 people including rescue workers, civil security squads and a medical team, plus 11 counterparts from neighboring Monaco, have been dispatched. Japanese authorities have asked them to assist in clearing and rescue efforts, a French Foreign Ministry official.

—Germany. The state-run THW aid agency has sent a 36-member team of rescue experts with dog. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Germany has offered further help but that none has yet been requested.

—Italy, which was ready to offer rescue teams and other assistance. Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said his country was awaiting word from the Japanese government on what precisely was needed and where it should be deployed.

I don't think that it would be helpful to donate money to Christian organizations. I know the rude behaviour of Christian missionaries in Japan, who would do anything to get more converts. This kind of pressure is something no one needs at the moment (or at any other moment). I'd think Buddhist organisations or humanitarian organisations are best recipients of donations.

Tatsuo wrote:I don't think that it would be helpful to donate money to Christian organizations. I know the rude behaviour of Christian missionaries in Japan, who would do anything to get more converts. This kind of pressure is something no one needs at the moment (or at any other moment). I'd think Buddhist organisations or humanitarian organisations are best recipients of donations.

They need blankets and food, not boxes of bibles & Fundamentalist propaganda.

How foolish you are, grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention! - Vasubandhu

Tatsuo wrote:I don't think that it would be helpful to donate money to Christian organizations. I know the rude behaviour of Christian missionaries in Japan, who would do anything to get more converts. This kind of pressure is something no one needs at the moment (or at any other moment). I'd think Buddhist organisations or humanitarian organisations are best recipients of donations.

They need blankets and food, not boxes of bibles & Fundamentalist propaganda.

There are secular, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian aid groups in the listing I posted.

You seem to assume all Christians are obnoxious. I don't think this is the case.